Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 08-0201
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, February 12, 2008
JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: DECEMBER 2007
On the last business day of December, there were 4.0 million job openings in
the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.8 percent, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The job openings and
hires rates were essentially unchanged in December. The separations rate fell to
3.1 percent in December. This release includes estimates of the number and rate
of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry
and geographic region.
Although the month-to-month changes in job openings, hires, and turnover data
are often small, some over-the-year changes are significant. From December 2006
to December 2007, the job openings, hires, quits, and total separations rates all
fell significantly for both the total nonfarm and total private sectors. (See
tables 5, 6, 7, and 8.)
Job Openings
In December, the job openings rate remained at 2.8 percent. Job openings
include only those jobs open on the last business day of the month. Over the
month, the job openings rate did not change significantly in any industry or
region. As occurs nearly every month, the seasonally adjusted job openings
rate was highest in the accommodation and food services industry (4.4 percent).
(See table 1.)
Over the year, the job openings rate rose significantly only in construction
(to 1.6 percent). The rate fell over the year in durable goods manufacturing
(1.7 percent); retail trade (1.8 percent); information (2.3 percent); real estate
and rental and leasing (2.0 percent); arts, entertainment, and recreation (2.1 per-
cent); other services (2.0 percent); and state and local government (1.8 percent).
Regionally, the job openings rate fell over the year in the Northeast (2.1 percent)
and in the South (2.7 percent). (See table 5.)
Hires
The hires rate was little changed at 3.3 percent in December. Hires are any
additions to the payroll during the month. In December, the hires rate increased
in state and local government (to 1.6 percent) and decreased in education and health
services (2.5 percent). The hires rate did not change significantly in December in
any region. As occurs nearly every month, the seasonally adjusted hires rate was
highest in December in accommodation and food services (6.2 percent). (See table 2.)
From December 2006 to December 2007, the hires rate decreased in professional and
business services (to 3.5 percent), health care and social assistance (1.9 percent),
and in the West region (2.6 percent). The hires rate did not increase significantly
in any industry or region over the year. (See table 6.)
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Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Industry | Dec. | Nov. | Dec. | Dec. | Nov. | Dec. | Dec. | Nov. | Dec.
| 2006 | 2007 | 2007p| 2006 | 2007 | 2007p| 2006 | 2007 | 2007p
---------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total (1)............|4,401 |4,024 |4,039 |4,959 |4,657 |4,636 |4,540 |4,599 |4,345
| | | | | | | | |
Total private (1)..|3,928 |3,573 |3,603 |4,662 |4,293 |4,205 |4,253 |4,327 |4,038
Construction.....| 107 | 144 | 160 | 341 | 357 | 353 | 387 | 326 | 327
Manufacturing....| 362 | 309 | 307 | 375 | 356 | 340 | 372 | 402 | 320
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities (2)...| 767 | 637 | 665 | 990 | 931 | 933 | 962 |1,034 | 933
Retail trade....| 471 | 345 | 364 | 699 | 644 | 659 | 707 | 758 | 660
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 745 | 685 | 682 | 963 | 894 | 809 | 851 | 842 | 818
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices...........| 734 | 719 | 705 | 515 | 531 | 461 | 430 | 423 | 426
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality (3).| 612 | 605 | 609 | 969 | 864 | 879 | 835 | 808 | 803
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 538 | 530 | 546 | 793 | 726 | 727 | 757 | 682 | 705
Government (4).....| 473 | 456 | 437 | 371 | 349 | 391 | 283 | 287 | 301
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 427 | 404 | 395 | 313 | 285 | 315 | 255 | 239 | 258
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total (1)............| 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1
| | | | | | | | |
Total private (1)..| 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.5
Construction.....| 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 4.4
Manufacturing....| 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 2.3
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities (2)...| 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.5
Retail trade....| 3.0 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.3
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.5
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices...........| 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.3
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality (3).| 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 7.2 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.8
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 6.0
Government (4).....| 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not
shown separately.
3 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
4 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
- 3 -
Separations
The total separations, or turnover, rate fell to 3.1 percent in December. Separa-
tions are terminations of employment that occur at any time during the month. Over the
month, the separations rate decreased in manufacturing (to 2.3 percent), retail trade
(4.3 percent), and the Northeast (2.5 percent). From December 2006 to December 2007,
the total separations rate rose in federal government (1.6 percent). The rate fell
over the year in durable goods manufacturing (1.5 percent), information (1.6 percent),
finance and insurance (1.8 percent), and in the Midwest region (2.9 percent). (See
tables 3 and 7.)
Total separations include quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and discharges
(involuntary separations), and other separations (including retirements). The quits
rate, which can serve as a barometer of workers’ ability to change jobs, fell slightly
in December in manufacturing (to 1.2 percent) and in the Northeast (1.2 percent). The
quits rate did not rise significantly in any industry or region over the month. As has
occurred every month since the series began in December 2000, the seasonally adjusted
quits rate was highest in the accommodation and food services industry (4.5 percent).
(See table 4.)
Over the year, the quits rate did not rise significantly in any industry but did
fall in several industries, including durable goods manufacturing (to 0.6 percent),
information (0.9 percent), finance and insurance (0.8 percent), professional and busi-
ness services (1.7 percent), health care and social assistance (1.3 percent), and in
the South region (1.6 percent). (See table 8.)
The other two components of total separations--layoffs and discharges, and other
separations--are not seasonally adjusted. For December, the layoffs and discharges
rate (1.3 percent) and level (1.8 million) were unchanged from a year earlier. The
layoffs and discharges rate in December 2007 was highest in construction (3.4 percent).
The other separations rate (0.2 percent) and level (324,000) were essentially unchanged
over the year. (See tables 9 and 10.)
Flows in the Labor Market
Several industries consistently have high rates of both hires and separations. These
include construction; retail trade; professional and business services; arts, entertain-
ment, and recreation; and accommodation and food services. In the 12 months ending in
December 2007, these 5 industries produced 33.4 million hires and 32.0 million separa-
tions. Thus, these five industries accounted for 58 percent of total nonfarm hires and
59 percent of total nonfarm separations while comprising only 39 percent of total nonfarm
employment.
For More Information
For additional information, please read the Technical Note or visit the JOLTS Web site
at http://www.bls.gov/jlt/. Additional information about JOLTS also may be obtained by
e-mailing Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870.
______________________________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for January 2008 is scheduled to be issued
on Wednesday, March 12.
________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Revisions to the JOLTS Data |
| |
| With the release of January data on March 12, BLS will revise the |
|job openings, hires, and separations data to incorporate the annual |
|updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and |
|the JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors. Unadjusted data from April 2006|
|forward and seasonally adjusted data from December 2000 forward are |
|subject to revision. Also with the release of January 2008 data,JOLTS |
|will revise the basis for industry classification from the 2002 North |
|American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to the 2007 North |
|American Industry Classification System. |
________________________________________________________________________
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Technical Note
The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) are
collected and compiled monthly from a sample of business establishments
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Collection
Each month, data are collected in a survey of business establishments
for total employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges,
and other separations. Data collection methods include computer-assisted
telephone interviewing, touchtone data entry, fax, and mail.
Coverage
The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments such as
factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local
government entities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Concepts
Industry classification. The industry classifications in this release
are in accordance with the 2002 version of the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS). In order to ensure the highest possible
quality of data, State Workforce Agencies verify with employers and up-
date, if necessary, the industry code, location, and ownership classi-
fication of all establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establish-
ment characteristics resulting from the verification process are always
introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for the
first month of the year.
Employment. Employment includes persons on the payroll who worked or
received pay for the pay period that includes the 12th day of the refer-
ence month. Full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, seasonal, sala-
ried, and hourly employees are included, as are employees on paid vaca-
tions or other paid leave. Proprietors or partners of unincorporated
businesses, unpaid family workers, or persons on leave without pay or on
strike for the entire pay period, are not counted as employed. Employees
of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contrac-
tors, and consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the
establishment where they are working.
Job openings. Establishments submit job openings information for the
last business day of the reference month. A job opening requires that:
1) a specific position exists and there is work available for that posi-
tion, 2) work could start within 30 days regardless of whether a suitable
candidate is found, and 3) the employer is actively recruiting from out-
side the establishment to fill the position. Included are full-time,
part-time, permanent, short-term, and seasonal openings. Active re-
cruiting means that the establishment is taking steps to fill a position
by advertising in newspapers or on the Internet, posting help-wanted
signs, accepting applications, or using other similar methods.
Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions, demotions,
or recall from layoffs are excluded. Also excluded are jobs with start
dates more than 30 days in the future, jobs for which employees have
been hired but have not yet reported for work, and jobs to be filled by
employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, out-
side contractors, or consultants. The job openings rate is computed by
dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job
openings and multiplying that quotient by 100.
- 5 -
Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll ocur-
ring at any time during the reference month, including both new and
rehired employees, full-time and part-time, permanent, short-term and
seasonal employees, employees recalled to the location after a layoff
lasting more than 7 days, on-call or intermittent employees who returned
to work after having been formally separated, and transfers from other
locations. The hires count does not include transfers or promotions
within the reporting site, employees returning from strike, employees of
temporary help agencies or employee leasing companies, outside contrac-
tors, or consultants. The hires rate is computed by dividing the number
of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
Separations. Separations are the total number of terminations of
employment occurring at any time during the reference month, and are
reported by type of separation--quits, layoffs and discharges, and
other separations. Quits are voluntary separations by employees (ex-
cept for retirements, which are reported as other separations). Lay-
offs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the em-
ployer and include layoffs with no intent to rehire, formal layoffs
lasting or expected to last more than 7 days, discharges resulting
from mergers, downsizing, or closings, firings or other discharges
for cause, terminations of permanent or short-term employees, and
terminations of seasonal employees. Other separations include re-
tirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations
due to disability. Separations do not include transfers within the
same location or employees on strike.
The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separa-
tions by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits,
layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed simi-
larly, dividing the number by employment and multiplying by 100.
Annual estimates. Annual estimates of rates and levels of hires,
quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total separations
are released with the January news release each year.
The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, layoffs and dis-
charges, other separations, and total separations are the sum of the
12 published monthly levels. The annual rate estimates are computed by
dividing the annual level by the Current Employment Statistics (CES)
annual average employment level, and multiplying that quotient by 100.
This figure will be approximately equal to the sum of the 12 monthly
rates. Note that both the JOLTS and CES annual levels are rounded to
the nearest thousand before the annual estimates are calculated. Con-
sistent with BLS practices, annual estimates will be published only for
not seasonally adjusted data.
Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings because job
openings are a stock, or point-in-time, measurement for the last busi-
ness day of each month. Only jobs still open on the last day of the
month are counted. For the same reason job openings cannot be cumulated
throughout each month, annual figures for job openings cannot be created
by summing the monthly estimates. Hires and separations are flow mea-
sures and are cumulated over the month with a total reported for the
month. Therefore, the annual figures can be created by summing the
monthly estimates.
- 6 -
Sample methodology
The JOLTS sample design is a random sample of 16,000 nonfarm business
establishments, including factories, offices, and stores, as well as
federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states and the District
of Columbia. The establishments are drawn from a universe of over
eight million establishments compiled as part of the operations of the
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, or QCEW, program. This program
includes all employers subject to state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws
and federal agencies subject to Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees (UCFE).
The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, industry sector,
and size class. Large firms fall into the sample with virtual certainty.
JOLTS total employment estimates are controlled to the employment esti-
mates of the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. A ratio of CES
to JOLTS employment is used to adjust the levels for all other JOLTS data
elements. Rates are then computed from the adjusted levels.
Using JOLTS data
The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are rel-
atively new. The full sample is divided into panels, with one panel en-
rolled each month. A full complement of panels for the original data
series based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system
was not completely enrolled in the survey until January 2002. The sup-
plemental panels of establishments needed to create NAICS estimates were
not completely enrolled until May 2003. The data collected up until
those points are from less than a full sample. Therefore, estimates from
earlier months should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units were
reporting data at that time.
In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and separations data
were revised to address possible underreporting. As a result, JOLTS hires
and separations estimates for months prior to March 2002 may not be compar-
able with estimates for March 2002 and later.
The federal government reorganization that involved transferring approx-
imately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland Security is not
reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the federal gov-
ernment. The Office of Personnel Management's record shows these transfers
were completed in March 2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS defi-
nitions of hires and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of
workers between establishments. The Department of Homeland Security reor-
ganization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of these inter-
governmental transfers would distort the federal government time series.
Seasonal adjustment
BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal
adjustment program. Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and
removing periodic fluctuations caused by events such as weather, holidays,
and the beginning and ending of the school year. Seasonal adjustment makes
it easier to observe fundamental changes in the level of the series, par-
ticularly those associated with general economic expansions and contrac-
tions. A concurrent seasonal adjustment methodology is used in which new
seasonal adjustment factors are calculated each month, using all relevant
data, up to and including the data for the current month.
- 7 -
Prior to the January 2007 benchmark release in March 2007, seasonal adjust-
ment of the JOLTS series was conducted using the stable seasonal filter option
since there were not enough data observations available for the standard use
of moving averages as seasonal filters. Although the seasonal adjustment of
the JOLTS series is conducted with fewer data observations than is customary,
the number of observations is now above the minimum required by X-12-ARIMA to
use the normal seasonal filters. Therefore, the standard use of moving aver-
ages as seasonal filter is now in place for JOLTS seasonal adjustment. JOLTS
seasonal adjustment now includes both additive and multiplicative seasonal
adjustment models and REGARIMA (regression with autocorrelated errors)
modeling to improve the seasonal adjustment factors at the beginning and end
of the series and to detect and adjust for outliers in the series. Due to
the improved diagnostics, three additional industries are now seasonally
adjusted: retail trade, accommodations and food services, and state and local
government. It is expected that more series may be seasonally adjusted when
more data are available.
Reliability of the estimates
JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When
a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance
that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they
represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the
particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard
error of the estimate. BLS analysis is generally conducted at the 90-percent
level of confidence. That means that there is a 90-percent chance, or level
of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than
1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sampling
error. Estimates of sampling errors are available upon request.
The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling
error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to include a seg-
ment of the population, the inability to obtain data from all units in the
sample, the inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide data on a
timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, errors made in the collection
or processing of the data, and errors from the employment benchmark data
used in estimation.
JOLTS hires and separations estimates cannot be used to exactly explain net
changes in nonfarm payroll employment. Some reasons why it is problematic to
compare changes in payroll employment with JOLTS hires and separations, espe-
cially on a monthly basis, are: 1) the reference period for payroll employment
is the pay period including the 12th of the month, while the reference period
for hires and separations is the calendar month; and 2) payroll employment can
vary from month to month simply because part-time and on-call workers may not
always work during the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. Addi-
tionally, research has found that some reporters systematically underreport
separations relative to hires due to a number of factors, including the nature
of their payroll systems and practices. The shortfall appears to be about
2 percent or less over a 12-month period.
Other information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Job openings levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels (3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007p
Total (4).................................. 4,401 4,186 4,168 4,119 4,059 4,024 4,039 3.1 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8
INDUSTRY
Total private (4)......................... 3,928 3,711 3,709 3,664 3,597 3,573 3,603 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.0
Construction............................. 107 167 149 138 155 144 160 1.4 2.1 1.9 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.1
Manufacturing............................ 362 340 328 319 304 309 307 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities (5). 767 684 703 691 598 637 665 2.8 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.2 2.3 2.4
Retail trade............................ 471 399 380 367 298 345 364 3.0 2.5 2.4 2.3 1.9 2.2 2.3
Professional and business services....... 745 693 676 661 730 685 682 4.0 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.9 3.7 3.6
Education and health services............ 734 717 700 720 701 719 705 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.7 3.6
Leisure and hospitality (6).............. 612 547 585 653 653 605 609 4.4 3.9 4.1 4.6 4.6 4.2 4.2
Accommodation and food services......... 538 497 518 587 590 530 546 4.5 4.1 4.3 4.8 4.8 4.3 4.4
Government (7)............................ 473 475 449 455 465 456 437 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9
State and local government............... 427 430 410 408 414 404 395 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.0
REGION (8)
Northeast................................ 849 741 682 611 664 627 656 3.2 2.8 2.6 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.5
South.................................... 1,674 1,612 1,690 1,651 1,641 1,613 1,562 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.0
Midwest.................................. 810 754 778 828 742 772 823 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.5
West..................................... 1,044 1,120 1,024 1,048 1,019 976 985 3.3 3.5 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.1
1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month.
2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a percent of total employment plus
job openings.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and
West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and
Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and
Wyoming.
p = preliminary.
Table 2. Hires levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels (3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007p
Total (4)................................... 4,959 4,802 4,836 4,714 4,870 4,657 4,636 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.3
INDUSTRY
Total private (4)......................... 4,662 4,443 4,369 4,355 4,507 4,293 4,205 4.1 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.6
Construction............................. 341 408 371 336 334 357 353 4.4 5.3 4.9 4.4 4.4 4.7 4.7
Manufacturing............................ 375 359 349 365 407 356 340 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.9 2.6 2.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities (5). 990 924 922 994 1,034 931 933 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.7 3.9 3.5 3.5
Retail trade............................ 699 613 666 709 709 644 659 4.6 4.0 4.3 4.6 4.6 4.2 4.3
Professional and business services....... 963 879 797 800 840 894 809 5.4 4.9 4.4 4.5 4.7 4.9 4.5
Education and health services............ 515 502 501 448 514 531 461 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.4 2.8 2.9 2.5
Leisure and hospitality (6).............. 969 874 901 906 916 864 879 7.2 6.4 6.6 6.6 6.7 6.3 6.4
Accommodation and food services......... 793 748 758 749 796 726 727 6.9 6.5 6.5 6.4 6.8 6.2 6.2
Government (7)............................ 371 385 396 370 377 349 391 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.7
State and local government............... 313 293 314 296 313 285 315 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.6
REGION (8)
Northeast................................ 768 750 761 689 672 764 754 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.7 2.6 2.9 2.9
South.................................... 1,900 1,898 1,841 1,848 1,925 1,821 1,766 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.9 3.7 3.6
Midwest.................................. 1,150 1,039 1,081 1,125 1,084 1,038 1,019 3.6 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.2
West..................................... 1,209 1,135 1,148 1,068 1,211 1,016 1,042 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.3 3.4
1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month.
2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
Table 3. Total separations levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels (3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007p
Total (4).................................. 4,540 4,507 4,446 4,430 4,639 4,599 4,345 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.1
INDUSTRY
Total private (4)......................... 4,253 4,173 4,120 4,146 4,376 4,327 4,038 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.5
Construction............................. 387 384 371 364 359 326 327 5.0 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.7 4.3 4.4
Manufacturing............................ 372 379 380 379 408 402 320 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities (5). 962 987 926 954 1,007 1,034 933 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.5
Retail trade............................ 707 687 652 676 703 758 660 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.9 4.3
Professional and business services....... 851 733 742 832 888 842 818 4.8 4.1 4.1 4.6 4.9 4.7 4.5
Education and health services............ 430 414 430 411 428 423 426 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3
Leisure and hospitality (6).............. 835 837 808 723 803 808 803 6.2 6.2 6.0 5.3 5.9 5.9 5.8
Accommodation and food services......... 757 735 703 627 686 682 705 6.6 6.3 6.1 5.4 5.9 5.8 6.0
Government (7)............................ 283 323 322 289 289 287 301 1.3 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3
State and local government............... 255 254 255 213 237 239 258 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3
REGION (8)
Northeast................................ 670 622 667 631 680 798 642 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.4 2.6 3.1 2.5
South.................................... 1,796 1,744 1,710 1,760 1,802 1,708 1,668 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.4
Midwest.................................. 1,054 1,014 1,038 998 992 992 951 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0
West..................................... 1,036 1,149 1,053 1,018 1,160 1,126 1,118 3.4 3.7 3.4 3.3 3.8 3.6 3.6
1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month.
2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
Table 4. Quits levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels (3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007 2007p
Total (4).................................. 2,759 2,640 2,539 2,450 2,682 2,515 2,461 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.8
INDUSTRY
Total private (4)......................... 2,615 2,493 2,391 2,308 2,534 2,374 2,322 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.0 2.0
Construction............................. 143 176 145 135 137 116 104 1.9 2.3 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.5 1.4
Manufacturing............................ 222 186 202 189 208 190 168 1.6 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities (5). 597 572 545 559 607 571 580 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.3 2.1 2.2
Retail trade............................ 438 427 401 412 443 432 435 2.9 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.9 2.8 2.8
Professional and business services....... 497 418 395 420 482 418 355 2.8 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.7 2.3 2.0
Education and health services............ 289 276 270 253 260 267 256 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4
Leisure and hospitality (6).............. 602 597 557 410 558 577 575 4.5 4.4 4.1 3.0 4.1 4.2 4.2
Accommodation and food services......... 560 552 505 363 514 528 527 4.9 4.8 4.4 3.1 4.4 4.5 4.5
Government (7)............................ 146 148 148 146 147 142 141 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7 .6 .6
State and local government............... 130 125 126 123 129 126 122 .7 .6 .6 .6 .7 .6 .6
REGION (8)
Northeast................................ 367 314 313 306 340 368 315 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.2
South.................................... 1,171 1,097 1,070 1,012 1,121 993 986 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.0 2.0
Midwest.................................. 559 553 564 543 542 541 525 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.6
West..................................... 638 669 598 582 697 614 623 2.1 2.2 1.9 1.9 2.3 2.0 2.0
1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.
2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
Table 5. Job openings levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007p
Total........................................... 3,888 3,671 3,572 2.7 2.6 2.5
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,451 3,244 3,173 2.9 2.7 2.7
Natural resources and mining.................. 15 13 14 2.2 1.7 1.9
Construction.................................. 73 115 117 1.0 1.5 1.6
Manufacturing................................. 323 271 270 2.2 1.9 1.9
Durable goods................................ 201 158 155 2.2 1.8 1.7
Nondurable goods............................. 122 113 115 2.3 2.2 2.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 647 578 571 2.3 2.1 2.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 140 114 150 2.3 1.9 2.4
Retail trade................................. 378 323 290 2.3 2.0 1.8
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 129 141 131 2.5 2.6 2.5
Information................................... 135 83 71 4.2 2.6 2.3
Financial activities.......................... 218 219 210 2.5 2.5 2.4
Finance and insurance........................ 152 173 165 2.4 2.7 2.6
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 67 45 45 2.9 2.0 2.0
Professional and business services............ 702 640 646 3.8 3.4 3.4
Education and health services................. 695 681 671 3.7 3.5 3.4
Educational services......................... 69 61 60 2.2 1.8 1.8
Health care and social assistance............ 626 620 612 4.0 3.8 3.8
Leisure and hospitality....................... 491 527 494 3.6 3.8 3.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 55 54 39 3.0 2.8 2.1
Accommodation and food services............. 436 473 454 3.7 3.9 3.8
Other services................................ 150 118 109 2.7 2.1 2.0
Government..................................... 436 427 398 1.9 1.8 1.7
Federal....................................... 41 46 38 1.5 1.7 1.4
State and local............................... 395 381 361 2.0 1.9 1.8
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 732 603 571 2.8 2.3 2.1
South......................................... 1,514 1,489 1,384 3.0 2.9 2.7
Midwest....................................... 689 673 722 2.1 2.0 2.2
West.......................................... 953 905 895 3.0 2.8 2.8
1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month.
2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a
percent of total employment plus job openings.
3 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
Table 6. Hires levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007p
Total........................................... 3,720 4,234 3,381 2.7 3.0 2.4
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,493 3,978 3,143 3.0 3.4 2.7
Natural resources and mining.................. 16 19 18 2.3 2.6 2.4
Construction.................................. 212 277 219 2.8 3.6 3.0
Manufacturing................................. 252 294 221 1.8 2.1 1.6
Durable goods................................ 142 167 113 1.6 1.9 1.3
Nondurable goods............................. 109 128 108 2.1 2.5 2.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 795 1,057 736 3.0 3.9 2.7
Wholesale trade.............................. 98 139 102 1.7 2.3 1.7
Retail trade................................. 559 800 522 3.5 5.1 3.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 138 118 112 2.7 2.3 2.2
Information................................... 53 48 42 1.7 1.6 1.4
Financial activities.......................... 170 178 143 2.0 2.1 1.7
Finance and insurance........................ 111 107 102 1.8 1.7 1.6
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 59 70 41 2.7 3.2 1.9
Professional and business services............ 788 829 632 4.4 4.6 3.5
Education and health services................. 374 447 338 2.1 2.4 1.8
Educational services......................... 36 50 38 1.2 1.5 1.2
Health care and social assistance............ 339 397 299 2.2 2.5 1.9
Leisure and hospitality....................... 727 737 669 5.6 5.5 5.0
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 133 110 123 7.4 5.9 6.6
Accommodation and food services............. 594 627 546 5.3 5.4 4.7
Other services................................ 106 93 125 1.9 1.7 2.3
Government..................................... 227 256 238 1.0 1.1 1.0
Federal....................................... 51 42 59 1.9 1.6 2.2
State and local............................... 176 214 178 .9 1.1 .9
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 556 694 561 2.2 2.7 2.2
South......................................... 1,411 1,659 1,298 2.9 3.3 2.6
Midwest....................................... 792 919 698 2.5 2.9 2.2
West.......................................... 961 962 824 3.1 3.1 2.6
1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month.
2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
Table 7. Total separations levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007p
Total........................................... 4,369 4,247 4,142 3.2 3.0 3.0
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 4,136 4,056 3,891 3.6 3.5 3.3
Natural resources and mining.................. 15 24 28 2.2 3.2 3.8
Construction.................................. 407 337 347 5.4 4.4 4.7
Manufacturing................................. 332 367 274 2.4 2.6 2.0
Durable goods................................ 195 209 129 2.2 2.4 1.5
Nondurable goods............................. 138 158 145 2.7 3.1 2.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 1,080 1,001 1,030 4.0 3.7 3.8
Wholesale trade.............................. 130 126 171 2.2 2.1 2.8
Retail trade................................. 806 728 741 5.1 4.6 4.7
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 144 147 117 2.8 2.8 2.3
Information................................... 72 53 49 2.3 1.7 1.6
Financial activities.......................... 217 166 199 2.6 2.0 2.4
Finance and insurance........................ 145 87 112 2.3 1.4 1.8
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 72 79 87 3.3 3.6 4.0
Professional and business services............ 823 858 794 4.6 4.7 4.4
Education and health services................. 360 342 358 2.0 1.8 1.9
Educational services......................... 45 40 45 1.5 1.2 1.4
Health care and social assistance............ 315 302 313 2.1 1.9 2.0
Leisure and hospitality....................... 712 781 684 5.4 5.8 5.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 62 149 71 3.4 8.0 3.9
Accommodation and food services............. 650 632 613 5.8 5.5 5.3
Other services................................ 117 127 128 2.2 2.3 2.3
Government..................................... 233 192 251 1.0 .8 1.1
Federal....................................... 35 23 43 1.3 .8 1.6
State and local............................... 198 169 207 1.0 .8 1.0
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 671 733 627 2.6 2.8 2.4
South......................................... 1,661 1,459 1,526 3.4 2.9 3.1
Midwest....................................... 1,052 999 932 3.3 3.1 2.9
West.......................................... 986 1,056 1,057 3.2 3.4 3.4
1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month.
2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent
of total employment.
3 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
Table 8. Quits levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007p
Total........................................... 2,296 2,193 2,032 1.7 1.6 1.5
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 2,186 2,092 1,930 1.9 1.8 1.7
Natural resources and mining.................. 8 10 12 1.1 1.3 1.6
Construction.................................. 115 96 81 1.5 1.3 1.1
Manufacturing................................. 158 151 119 1.1 1.1 .9
Durable goods................................ 83 81 55 .9 .9 .6
Nondurable goods............................. 76 70 64 1.5 1.4 1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 544 516 531 2.0 1.9 2.0
Wholesale trade.............................. 71 53 76 1.2 .9 1.3
Retail trade................................. 404 404 399 2.5 2.6 2.5
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 69 59 56 1.3 1.1 1.1
Information................................... 41 34 28 1.3 1.1 .9
Financial activities.......................... 109 97 91 1.3 1.2 1.1
Finance and insurance........................ 72 65 47 1.2 1.0 .8
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 37 32 44 1.7 1.5 2.0
Professional and business services............ 422 375 303 2.4 2.1 1.7
Education and health services................. 244 228 215 1.3 1.2 1.1
Educational services......................... 20 23 19 .6 .7 .6
Health care and social assistance............ 224 205 196 1.5 1.3 1.3
Leisure and hospitality....................... 485 515 463 3.7 3.8 3.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 31 37 36 1.7 2.0 1.9
Accommodation and food services............. 454 478 428 4.0 4.1 3.7
Other services................................ 59 69 86 1.1 1.3 1.6
Government..................................... 109 101 102 .5 .4 .4
Federal....................................... 12 8 12 .5 .3 .4
State and local............................... 97 92 91 .5 .5 .5
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 294 334 252 1.1 1.3 1.0
South......................................... 983 837 816 2.0 1.7 1.6
Midwest....................................... 470 491 431 1.5 1.5 1.3
West.......................................... 548 531 533 1.8 1.7 1.7
1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.
2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007p
Total........................................... 1,789 1,769 1,785 1.3 1.3 1.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 1,710 1,710 1,694 1.5 1.5 1.5
Natural resources and mining.................. 6 12 13 .8 1.7 1.7
Construction.................................. 285 219 250 3.8 2.9 3.4
Manufacturing................................. 148 189 135 1.0 1.4 1.0
Durable goods................................ 93 113 63 1.0 1.3 .7
Nondurable goods............................. 56 76 71 1.1 1.5 1.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 458 402 404 1.7 1.5 1.5
Wholesale trade.............................. 41 63 78 .7 1.0 1.3
Retail trade................................. 353 261 282 2.2 1.7 1.8
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 64 77 45 1.3 1.5 .9
Information................................... 26 14 16 .8 .4 .5
Financial activities.......................... 80 58 91 .9 .7 1.1
Finance and insurance........................ 48 16 51 .8 .3 .8
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 31 41 41 1.4 1.9 1.9
Professional and business services............ 361 444 437 2.0 2.4 2.4
Education and health services................. 90 88 113 .5 .5 .6
Educational services......................... 20 14 23 .7 .4 .7
Health care and social assistance............ 70 74 90 .5 .5 .6
Leisure and hospitality....................... 204 244 199 1.6 1.8 1.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 27 110 34 1.5 5.9 1.8
Accommodation and food services............. 177 134 165 1.6 1.2 1.4
Other services................................ 52 42 37 1.0 .8 .7
Government..................................... 79 59 91 .4 .3 .4
Federal....................................... 13 8 22 .5 .3 .8
State and local............................... 66 51 69 .3 .3 .3
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 332 351 295 1.3 1.3 1.1
South......................................... 568 534 605 1.1 1.1 1.2
Midwest....................................... 517 455 434 1.6 1.4 1.4
West.......................................... 372 429 452 1.2 1.4 1.5
1 Layoffs and discharges are the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month.
2 The layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month as a
percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
Table 10. Other separations levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2006 2007 2007p 2006 2007 2007p
Total........................................... 284 285 324 0.2 0.2 0.2
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 240 253 267 .2 .2 .2
Natural resources and mining.................. 1 2 3 .2 .2 .5
Construction.................................. 7 23 17 .1 .3 .2
Manufacturing................................. 26 27 20 .2 .2 .1
Durable goods................................ 20 14 11 .2 .2 .1
Nondurable goods............................. 6 12 9 .1 .2 .2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 78 84 94 .3 .3 .3
Wholesale trade.............................. 18 9 17 .3 .2 .3
Retail trade................................. 49 63 60 .3 .4 .4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 11 11 16 .2 .2 .3
Information................................... 4 5 6 .1 .2 .2
Financial activities.......................... 28 11 17 .3 .1 .2
Finance and insurance........................ 25 5 14 .4 .1 .2
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 3 6 2 .2 .3 .1
Professional and business services............ 40 39 54 .2 .2 .3
Education and health services................. 26 26 30 .1 .1 .2
Educational services......................... 5 3 2 .2 .1 .1
Health care and social assistance............ 21 23 28 .1 .1 .2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 23 22 22 .2 .2 .2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 4 3 2 .2 .1 .1
Accommodation and food services............. 19 20 20 .2 .2 .2
Other services................................ 6 15 5 .1 .3 .1
Government..................................... 45 32 57 .2 .1 .3
Federal....................................... 9 6 9 .3 .2 .3
State and local............................... 35 26 48 .2 .1 .2
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 44 48 81 .2 .2 .3
South......................................... 110 88 105 .2 .2 .2
Midwest....................................... 64 54 67 .2 .2 .2
West.......................................... 66 96 73 .2 .3 .2
1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month.
2 The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of
total employment.
3 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = preliminary.
United States Department of Labor
